Tibetan monks begin mandala sand painting at Myrtle Beach art museum

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A group of Tibetan monks from the Derpung Gomany Monastery is in Myrtle Beach this week creating a Tantric Buddhist mandala sand painting.

The monks are demonstrating “The Sacred Art of the Mandala” at the Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapman Art Museum in Myrtle Beach. The painting is “being painstaking poured grain by brain to generate energies for global health, healing and peace,” according to a release from the museum.

“The mandala ceremony is about creating spiritual harmony,” local tour coordinator Gabriella Plaza-Goldschmidt said. “With all our concerns about armed conflicts around the world, and the degradation of our physical environment, we are all striving for that kind of harmonious existence. This is an extraordinary opportunity to experience an ancient ritual of reconciliation and healing, as well as to view the creation of an exquisite work of art.”

The week-long event kicked off with an opening ceremony on Monday. From Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, the monks will create the mandala out of colored sand. The Art Museum will also allow visitors the opportunity to work on a community mandala, mirroring the ancient form.

Upon completion, the monks' mandala painting will be dispersed into the Atlantic Ocean in a ceremony of worldwide healing, in keeping with the Buddhist tradition. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m.

All events are open to the public. Learn more about the mandala painting and all of the art museum's programs and exhibits online at: www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org

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